As the Winter Olympics gets under way today, three inspirational North East athletes will be gunning for gold.

Mica McNeill, Amanda Lightfoot and Emily Sarsfield are part of Great Britain’s biggest ever Winter Olympics team - and will be aiming to do the region proud.

Between them the trio have battled setbacks including injuries and funding cuts to compete at the PyeongChang 2018 Games.

The opening ceremony takes place today, but the early stages of ski jumping and curling started on Thursday.

Team GB want five podium finishes from their athletes to surpass the best-ever return of four from 1924 and 2014.

Here are the three North East athletes hoping to contribute to the medals haul.

Mica McNeill, Bobsleigh

British bobsleigh driver Mica McNeill (Image: PA)

Consett athlete Mica has had a turbulent ride to PyeongChang after having her funding cut by her own federation less than five months before the games.

The 24-year-old launched an online crowdfunding campaign which has now raised more than £40,000 to help her team get to the games.

Their sled now features a “Powered by the People” logo, but it will have to be removed in Pyeongchang as the International Olympic Committee will not allow any “political” slogans.

Mica played county-level hockey at netball until at the age of 15 she was spotted by Nicola Minichiello, then-wife of Jessica Ennis’ coach Tony, and persuaded to take up bobsleigh.

She recorded three top ten World Cup finishes to her name in 2016/17 and enjoyed a double success in January 2017 when she won World Junior Championship gold with partner Mica Moore in Winterberg two days after claiming Europa Cup glory with Montell Douglas.

Mica finished 16th at her third World Championships in 2017, having placed 12th and 14th in 2016 and 2015 respectively after winning bronze in the Junior Worlds in 2013.

Emily Sarsfield, Freestyle skiing

Great Britain's Emily Sarsfield (Image: PA)

Brought up in the small village of Brancepeth in County Durham, Emily started skiing aged three on annual family holidays.

At the age of 12 she started skiing competitively at the local dry ski slope in Sunderland, and a year later she was selected to ski for England.

Emily has been the top ranked British female throughout her career with eight national titles and Top 12 World placings.

But after a series of debilitating injuries and two controversial selection snubs, Emily Sarsfield could be forgiven for admitting defeat in pursuit of her Olympic dream.

Her hopes of making her Olympic debut in Vancouver in 2010 were dashed when she recovered from a broken leg only to find the single GB berth handed to Australian-born Sarah Sauvey.

And four years later she missed out on a place in Sochi due to British Olympic Association selection criteria, despite meeting the standards set by the International Ski Federation.

Emily has juggled everything from setting up her own ski school to converting shipping containers into barsto fund her competitive ski career and compete against the best in the world.

Amanda Lightfoot, Biathlon

Amanda Lightfoot of Great Britain (Image: Bongarts)

South Shields lass Amanda has been selected as Team GB’s sole biathlete for the 2018 games.

She started skiing through the military in 2006, aged 19, and began competing internationally two years later.

Amanda underwent a knee operation in April 2013 before making her Olympic Winter Games debut at Sochi 2014.

Finishing 75th and 71st in the 7.5km sprint and 15km individual, she has seen improvements since that display, with her personal best coming at the 2017 World Championships in Hochfilzen, finishing 32nd in the 15km individual.

Amanda is the second British female biathlete to compete at Olympic level following Emma Fowler at Turin 2006.

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She told the Team GB website: “I’m over the moon to be selected for Team GB for the 2018 Winter Olympics. “The rollercoaster of a journey these last four years have been quite an experience and the thousands of hours training makes these Olympics extra special.

“I’m looking to get the best result ever for a British female biathlete out in PyeongChang.”